Mile of Music gets marketing boost from state grant

Cory Chisel and friends give a performance at Lawrence University's Memorial Chapel on the final day of the Mile of Music festival in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Hundreds of fans wait to be let in for the headline stage show during the Mile of Music festival Saturday, August 10, 2013, at Lawrence University Memorial Chapel in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

Mile of Music labels are applied to beer bottles on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, at the Stone Cellar Brewpub. The bottles are for the commemorative beer for the music festival that starts Aug. 8. (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Adriel Denae (left) performs with The Candles at Memorial Chapel on the Lawrence campus as the Mile of Music festival draws to a close in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Nicole Rae performs at Memorial Chapel on the Lawrence campus as the Mile of Music festival draws to a close in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Chase Cohl sings on the final day of the Mile of Music festival at Memorial Chapel on the Lawrence campus in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

J.C. Brooks & The Uptown Sound perform in the Stansbury Theatre on the Lawrence campus as the Mile of Music festival draws to a close in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Cory Chisel and a few of his friends give a performance at Lawrence University's Memorial Chapel on the final day of the Mile of Music festival in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Nicole Rae performs at Memorial Chapel on the Lawrence campus as the Mile of Music festival draws to a close in Appleton, Wis., on Sunday, August, 11, 2013. Ron Page/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Post-Crescent Media)

Dave LeBlanc on keyboards and Kyle Megna on guitar perform at the Fox River House during the Mile of Music festival Friday, August 9, 2013, in downtown, Wisconsin. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

The Mel Flannery Trucking Co., performs at the Deja Vu during the Mile of Music festival Friday, August 9, 2013, in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Performing with the band is Mel's father Dan Flannery, left. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

The Hillary Reynolds Band performs during the Mile of Music festival Friday, August 9, 2013, at Lawrence University Memorial Chapel in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

The Hillary Reynolds Band performs during the Mile of Music festival Friday, August 9, 2013, at Lawrence University Memorial Chapel in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

Cory Chisel, center, and The Candles take it to the streets after playing a surprise acoustic jam session inside The Queen Bee during the Mile of Music festival Saturday, August 10, 2013, in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. Also playing but not pictured is Travis McNabb, a drummer from Sugarland and Better Than Ezra fame. Only 75 people were allowed in so the group decided to surprise fans waiting outside. Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media)

Lucas Cates performs at Cleo's on the first day of the Mile of Music festival on Thursday, August 8, 2013 in downtown Appleton, Wis. Sharon Cekada/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Sharon Cekada/Post-Crescent Media)

Greg Waters & The Broad Street Boogie perform in Houdini Plaza on the first day of the Mile of Music festival on Thursday, August 8, 2013 in downtown Appleton, Wis. Sharon Cekada/Post-Crescent Media (Photo: Sharon Cekada/Post-Crescent Medi Sharon Cekada/Post-Crescent Medi)

The second edition of the Mile of Music festival in downtown Appleton received a major boost on Thursday with the announcement of a $37,000 grant from the state Department of Tourism.

The festival, set for Aug. 7-10 and expected to feature more than 200 bands at 60-plus venues, debuted last summer to big applause.

The DOT Joint Effort Marketing grant aims to spread the word on the festival well beyond the Fox Cities.

"We are thrilled to support the second year of Mile of Music, which is quickly establishing itself as one of the biggest music festivals in the Midwest," Tourism secretary Stephanie Klett said in a statement. "With shows taking place at local venues, it's the perfect opportunity to introduce travelers to the first-class hospitality and vibrant downtown in Appleton."

Mile of Music is the brainchild of local marketing executive Dave Willems and Appleton-raised singer-songwriter Cory Chisel. It features bands and artists — some from Wisconsin and others from across the country — who create original music.

"The Joint-Effort Marketing grant was a significant development for us because it not only provides some critical marketing dollars to bring music fans to the festival from other parts of the state, but it's another piece of the puzzle when it comes to validation of what we're trying to accomplish with a creative economy event of this nature in downtown Appleton," Willems said.

Willems talked last year about making a concerted effort in year two to spread the word about the festival to the larger markets in the southern half of the state. This grant, he said, will help that process along.

"We'll be using the grant for reaching music fans in Milwaukee and Madison through their indie music stations as well as for newspaper inserts in several markets and some online advertising on both tourism- and music-related sites," he said.

As for businesses in downtown Appleton, this adds to the prospects of picking up where last year's Mile of Music bounce ended.

Festival organizers have estimated the festival will have an economic impact of $478,000 based on the number of visitors coming into the Fox Cities for the four-day festival.

"Mile of Music has been an outstanding placemaking event for Appleton and the downtown district," said Jennifer Stephany, executive director of Appleton Downtown Inc.

Stephany said the festival "produced tremendous economic impact for downtown Appleton" and said many of the businesses reported "growth in sales and an increase in overall foot traffic" during the four-day festival.